tableau-inspector (Python)

Local-first CLI that statically analyzes Tableau workbooks (.twb / .twbx) for common issues — dev-only DB connections, hidden worksheets, unused calculations/parameters, duplicate calculations, default filters, blank dashboard titles, missing captions, duplicate field aliases — before you publish. Everything is parsed from the workbook's embedded XML.

An optional AI assistant (ask, explain, summarize, docs --ai) can explain calculations, summarize dashboards, and answer questions in plain English. It sends only already-extracted metadata (never raw XML, never live Tableau data) to a configured AI provider — a local Ollama instance by default, so workbook metadata stays on your machine. Every other command makes no network calls at all.

This is a Python port of the Node.js tableau-inspector CLI, with the same functionality and zero runtime dependencies (stdlib only) -- the AI provider layer is implemented with stdlib urllib, so this holds even with the assistant enabled.

Install

pip install -e .

Quick start

# Lint a workbook for common publishing issues
tableau-inspector analyze workbook.twbx

# Generate a self-contained interactive HTML explorer (overview, lineage, calculations, health)
tableau-inspector explore workbook.twbx

# Trace what a field/calculation depends on and what depends on it
tableau-inspector lineage workbook.twbx --field "Customer Segment"

# Search fields, calculations, dashboards, worksheets, filters, parameters, and datasources
tableau-inspector search workbook.twbx "profit"
tableau-inspector search workbook.twbx "DATEDIFF" --formula
tableau-inspector search workbook.twbx "sales" --type field

# Diff two versions of a workbook
tableau-inspector compare old.twbx new.twbx

# Ask a question about a workbook (requires a running Ollama instance)
tableau-inspector ask workbook.twbx "What does Profit Margin calculate?" --model llama3.1

# Explain a specific calculation in plain English
tableau-inspector explain workbook.twbx --calculation "Profit Margin" --model llama3.1

# Summarize a dashboard's purpose, contents, filters, parameters, and key calculations
tableau-inspector summarize workbook.twbx --dashboard "Executive Dashboard" --model llama3.1

# Generate documentation with AI-written summaries and calculation explanations woven in
tableau-inspector docs workbook.twbx --ai --model llama3.1

Every command also supports --json for machine-readable output, and analyze/compare support --html for a shareable, self-contained HTML report.

AI assistant

ask/explain/summarize/docs --ai require a model name via --model, the TABLEAU_INSPECTOR_AI_MODEL environment variable, or (for a non-default provider) --provider/TABLEAU_INSPECTOR_AI_PROVIDER. The default provider is a local Ollama instance at http://localhost:11434 (override with --ollama-host / TABLEAU_INSPECTOR_OLLAMA_HOST). Start Ollama and pull a model before using these commands:

ollama serve
ollama pull llama3.1

Documentation

See USAGE.md for the full command reference (every flag, exit codes, AI provider setup, and example workflows), or run tableau-inspector --help / tableau-inspector <command> --help for the same option reference from the CLI itself.

License

MIT © Joshua Bowen